


Dead on Arrival

by Skrappi



Category: Titanfall (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Check out MatteoArts' TAC, Cinder - Freeform, Gen, Giant Robots, I made this for a contest, Robot/Human Relationships, the architect codex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 12:45:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19173562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skrappi/pseuds/Skrappi
Summary: A rogue AI breaks up a dynamic duo, but perhaps they've been broken for a while.





	Dead on Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> These are characters I'm working on developing- although this is just an AU featuring them.
> 
> This oneshot is for a contest hosted by and dedicated to the very talented MatteoArts (Wattpad/Fanfiction), and specifically revolves around his work, "Cinder", and the events featured in Chapter 1. Go check it out!

****Despite her pleading, he left.

There was no denying that their partnership had been rough from the start.  She just never imagined that they would be separated so easily.  
Jay, alongside a few other Pilots, watched from the observation deck as their Titans departed into deep space.  The Remnant fleet vessel had been waiting for their mechanical partners to embark as soon as Spyglass finished his announcement.  It was all impeccably conducted, as expected of a high-calibur AI.

The announcement was simple: In the name of peace and coalescence on the Frontier, join Spyglass or die.  
  
The AI’s broadcast would have been ignored if it weren’t specifically directed toward the Titans.  Spyglass’ words hit them with sweet promises of protection for their Pilots should peace be attained, so the choice was clear.

Jay clenched her fist, fighting tears for the second time today.  Her heart hammered with anger and woe. Contempt for Spyglass, and heartbreak from the sudden abandonment by her partner, TZ-1165.  

Her Legion-class Titan’s decision had been immediate, and even though Jay had made every effort to convince him otherwise, his artificial mind was set and unyielding.  With a chuff of air from his vents, he’d stomped past her and readied for departure. He didn’t even bother disconnecting their Link.

She stared through the thick glass that separated her from the empty vacuum of space, eyes focused on the small dot that now carried Taz away from her.  The brevity of Spyglass’ broadcast and Taz’s immediate departure made Jay scan through her years with the Titan, questioning the volatility of their relationship overall.

 

Years ago, Jay had completed her Pilot’s Certification with the lowest score ever recorded.  Her low score betrayed her excellence in almost every category; she was nimble, adept, and did perfectly fine up until the last hurdle of the Certification.  Ultimately her failure to maintain the integrity of her simulated Titan plummeted her score to depths never before achieved. Time and time again, she had lost her simulated Titan, resulting in repeated failures.  

Each failure strengthened her resolve to become a Pilot, leading to an almost reflexive reapplication to take the exam.  After each failure, Jay feverishly sped to the office, allowing no time for reflection of her mistakes and stubbornly demanding to retake the Certification.  Months later, after going through the full Pilot’s Certification and botching the Titan Segment, she would make a beeline back to the office to do it all over again.

However this time was different.  Not due to her unrelenting attempts and sufficient skill but instead the product of a desperate and exhausted Militia, she received her full Pilot’s Certification.  Jay’s Titan now stood in front of her.

Bent over.  Paintless. Ugly.  The Legion extended a large hand toward her, motioning to embark.  She hesitated, staring at the open cockpit.

“I know you,” Jay took a step back, her eyes open upon recognizing him, “You’re the Titan with all of the Pilots you-”

“-Killed?” his voice rumbled, finishing her sentence.  He stayed eerily still.

“I was going to say ‘lost’.” she finished, swallowing nervously.  There was a pause.

“Yes.” he stood up, ignoring her apparent apprehension, “Will this be an issue?”

Jay absentmindedly clutched her new helmet a little tighter.  She felt sweaty.

“You’re the single unluckiest Titan in the Militia.”

“That depends on your perspective.” he straightened up to full height, watching her expression closely.  Her face remained blank, so he continued.

“From my point of view, I am _very_ lucky.  My Pilots however-”

“ _I’m_ your Pilot!” Jay spat, stepping forward.  In an instant, the Legion closed the gap between them, angling himself so that his optics’ light bore straight through her.  She felt a shiver run down her spine as he stomped his foot down only a meter away from her.

He could’ve crushed her.  Called it an accident. But he didn’t.  Just one meter over to the left and she would’ve-

“Not yet.”  the massive mech stepped backward before crouching and extending his hand again.

“Please embark when ready.”  


Twelve Pilots lost, to be exact.  Each and every one of their deaths still weighed heavily on him.  TZ-1165 tracked Jay’s movements as she stepped forward into his palm, observing how frail she was.  His cockpit opened with a click and a hiss to allow her inside.

He didn’t want to lose another.  He’d gone through her records; she was unfit to be a Pilot.  A failure just like him.

TZ-1165 booted up the Linking Protocol and directed his attention accordingly.

The Link failed.

Perhaps if it continued to fail, he wouldn’t have to lose another Pilot.

But what would happen to _him_?  

Jay demanded to try again.  Matching her determination, he reinitiated the Linking Protocol.

The Link succeeded.  


The last Neural Link attempt had left a small buzzing ‘noise’ in the back of Jay’s head, but it was enough for the two of them to call it acceptable.  The minor abnormality in the Link was drowned out by the feeling of much-needed success. She let out a sigh, content. Jay was certain the two of them were desperate to make this work.

Their first deployment was a disaster.  An IMC Tone had launched its Salvo at them right as they turned around to face the threat.  By luck alone, both Jay and TZ-1165 had survived a direct hit to the cockpit. The Legion needed minor repairs, and Jay landed in the hospital for a few weeks.  Something needed to change.

The solution that they agreed upon was unorthodox at best.  Jay, feeling more comfortable out and away from her Titan, decided to never step foot inside his cockpit again.  TZ-1165, who was much more capable without her poor piloting skills, would also work alone. The idea was for the two of them to work separately, but communicate efficiently and move in unison.  

Their plan was sound.  They would have increased single-target damage if they focused their fire appropriately.  They could cover eachother more effectively. The resulting chaos would allow for unique exploitation of their enemies’ weaknesses.

The next mission, their plan effortlessly sprung into action.  Jay took the smaller routes along the side, while TZ-1165 barrelled through the opposition front and center.  Occasionally he would slide over to dispose of some Stalkers that blocked her path, or she would smoke out an enemy Pilot attempting to climb on top of him.  In a dizzying flurry of Archer rockets from every direction and a bold overbearing approach from the Legion, the two dispatched over eager Titans with ease, netting a wildly successful completed mission for their division.

The Militia disapproved of their unusual arrangement, but couldn’t deny the results.  Despite being unconventional, they _worked_.

 

And Spyglass broke that up in an instant.

Over the years that passed following Taz’s departure, Jay found herself soured by the events that unfolded across the Frontier.  She, alongside the remaining forces of both the IMC and Militia, worked toward finding and destroying the rogue AI. Each day she felt smaller and smaller without her partner.  Each day her animosity toward Spyglass grew.

Finally they had located the AI on the remote planet of Regis.  Commander Gates of the 6-4 had hailed Jay’s ship, pushing a call to action.  Without question, they obliged.  
Down on the surface of the planet, the tell-tale rings of a Fold Weapon stood proud, jutting up past the distant treeline.  Jay had only ever seen holo-vids of a similar structure from years ago, but its shape was unforgettable. A large facility spread out nearby, the surrounding area peppered with dark, rounded capsules.  

Jay and her fellow Titanless Pilots had already boarded their ship’s dropship, now descending past the blanket of clouds along the far outskirts of the compound below.  The path downward was rough with turbulence and stray fire rocking the ship every now and then. She felt the sweat on her palms as she gripped the railing to steady herself, catching a glimpse of the world outside.

Already there was fighting.  Ships spun out of control as the Anti-Aircraft turrets from the surface shot them down. The vessels smeared across the earth as they crashed, marring the landscape with long scorched scars.  The soldiers and Pilots that had somehow managed to reach the surface were engaged in battle with nearly identical counterparts. Soldiers fought soldiers, Pilots with Pilots, and the Titans that had remained with their partners now chipped away at those who swore loyalty to Spyglass.  
The ship’s hatch opened, and her crew leapt out, their jumpkits providing a smooth and serene descent, a contrast to the surrounding hellscape.  The dropship had already rocketed back up into the atmosphere, eager not to get shot down by lingering too long near the surface.

As her squad spread out and made its way to the central facility in formation, Jay felt a familiar buzz in the back of her head.  Turning, she spotted the Legion as he stepped on something, twisting his foot and mashing his target into a paste. He steadied his predator cannon and fired into a crowd of Pilots and Titans alike, lighting the ground ablaze with gore and shrapnel.  Jay would recognize that ugly, still-unpainted chassis anywhere.  
  
Taz.  
  
She felt sick.  The sweat she’d forgotten about now ran cold along her chest and sides.  The rifle in her hands trembled. He was killing her brothers and sisters without hesitation.  Her _partner_ was slaughtering the very people he was supposed to _protect_.  Owing to their battle style, Jay was accustomed to viewing his destruction but in the context of obliterating the Militia it contorted her stomach into knots.  She knew what she had to do.

If anyone was to put him down, it was going to be her.

Jay activated her jumpkit to boost her forward as she bounded toward her Titan’s back.  Swiftly, she hopped from rung to handhold up to his battery compartment and grabbed hold, twisting the cell free and throwing it blindly into the surrounding dust.  The Legion squirmed, an enormous hand reaching from above and behind, and plucked her from his back. He held her out in front of his optics, the teal blue light blinding her.

“Pilot.”

“What you’re fighting for isn’t _peace_.” Jay kicked out, her foot catching on a rung at the bottom of his hand.  

“We are partners.”

“No.  Spyglass broke that.” she wrenched herself from his grip and slid behind him, reaching for the Archer along her back.  She aimed the weapon up, glancing through the lens just as he whipped around.

But it _was_ peace he was fighting for.  If only she didn’t resist. If only she didn’t put his mission in jeopardy.

If anyone was to put her down, it was going to be him.

His foot stepped down, one meter to the left of where it did when they first met.


End file.
